One Last Day
by Amaranth O'Riley
Summary: Lily and James Potter had it all. A wonderful family, friends, and an overall great life. Until the night when it was cruelly snatched away from them and they were betrayed by the one person they needed to trust.


**A/N: **Seems I'm in story-revival mode today. This is another songfic that I had up at my old account. It had good reviews, it's just been two years since I've looked at it. It's edited and clear of all my old errors. This skips a few months in every new section.

Enjoy!

**-.-**

_Once upon a year gone by  
She saw herself give in  
Every time she closed her eyes  
She saw what could have been_

"Well Lily," Alice Longbottom said softly. "Looks like we both got two adorable baby boys. Thought of a name yet?"

Lily smiled at her best friend and held her baby tighter.

"Harry," Lily whispered softly. "Harry James Potter."

_Well nothing hurts and nothing bleeds  
When covers tucked in tight  
Funny when the bottom drops  
How she forgets to fight... to fight_

"Where's my godson?" Sirius Black boomed, walking through the door of Godric's Hollow. "Where's little Harry?"

"Pafoo!" the boy cried. Sirius picked him up and swung him around. Harry squealed gleefully.

"Hey Siri!" James greeted as he came out of the kitchen. He took his son from Sirius, who reached behind his back and pulled out a messily wrapped package.

"Happy Christmas, kid!" he cried, handing Harry the present.

"Bwoom!" Harry yelled, tearing the paper off. "Me fly like Pwongs!"

Lily watched nervously from the hallway as James and Sirius taught her five-month-old son to fly.

"Natural Quidditch player, he is!" She heard James yell proudly.

"Of course!" Sirius laughed, "It's in his blood!"

_And it's one more day in paradise  
One more day in paradise_

"A prophecy?" Lily asked numbly. "Albus thinks it's a real one this time?"

"He said it was different this time. She went really weird or something." James answered.

"He said we should lie low for awhile. And it gets worse."

"Worse!" Lily cried. "What could be worse?

James looked at his wife grimly and replied with two words: "Snape overheard."

_As darkness quickly steals the light  
That shined within her eyes  
She slowly swallows all her fear  
And soothes her mind with lies_

"I'm afraid I have some troubling news," Albus Dumbledore said a few weeks later, "I have information that one of your friends may be working for Lord Voldemort."

"Friends?" Lily repeated, "Like Sirius or Remus?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said sadly. "Although it could very well be Peter, Frank, or Alice."

"Peter!" James laughed. "Peter Pettigrew, a Death Eater!"

Dumbledore smiled. "Not very likely is it?" he laughed. "So who will you use?"

"Excuse me?" Lily asked. She turned to her husband, but he seemed just as confused as she did.

"Well you need a Secret-Keeper! You can't have everyone in the world knowing where you are. So who will you use?"

"Sirius." James replied. "I trust him with my life. Sirius will be our Secret-Keeper."

_Well all she wants and all she needs  
Are reasons to survive  
A day in which the sun will take  
Her artificial light... her light_

"Remus!" Sirius cried exasperatedly. "It's a simple question: Are you or are you not a Death Eater?"

"For the love of Merlin, Sirius!" Remus yelled. "Why would I be a Death Eater? I don't see you questioning Peter or Frank about this! No, I'm not a Death Eater, are you?"

"Of course not! And no, I haven't asked Peter, he can't figure out how to make macaroni, let alone hide a secret like that. And I'm only asking because, well, you are a dark creature…" his voice broke off.

"That's it? You're suspecting me of betraying my only friends to an evil physcopath because I'm a werewolf?"

"No, Remus!"

"Well it certainly sounded like…Sirius!" Remus's eyes widened as he glanced at a point just above Sirius's head. Sirius turned.

The Dark Mark hovered over the Potters' house.

Remus and Sirius ran together to the front door, calling out for their friends. Lily and James were engaged in a violent battle with the ten most dangerous Death Eaters. Sirius and Remus rushed to their defense. James cried out as Lily's limp body flew into a wall. He cursed the Death Eater who had been fighting his wife. The man gestured to the others, and all ten Death Eaters dissapparated.

Lily moaned in pain. James rushed to her, lifting her head up gently. She opened her eyes weakly, and the couple embraced.

Sirius and Remus smiled, completely forgetting about the argument they had had just minutes before.

_And it's one more day in paradise  
One more day in paradise  
It's one more day in paradise  
One last chance to feel alright... alright_

"Albus, we need to do this now!" James yelled, "We were attacked! Lily could've died!"

"I know! But Sirius has claimed that his being your Secret-Keeper would be too obvious. Everyone knows you two are inseparable, James, they'll get him!"

"Well what do we do?" Lily asked quietly.

"Peter."

"Are you sure?" Dumbledore began pacing around his study. "I could do it, if you wish…"

"No, Albus, that won't be necessary. Peter can handle it."

_It's one more day in paradise  
One last chance to feel alright... alright_

Moments later, Peter was in Dumbledore's office, still dusted in Floo powder.

"Peter Edward Pettigrew, do you solemnly swear to keep the location of one James Henry Potter and one Lily Marie Evans a complete secret until death?"

"I do."

And as a ghostly stream of silvery-white light shot out from Dumbledore's wand and snaked around the three, a small, unnoticeable smile graced Peter Pettigrew's lips.

_Don't pretend to hold it in just let it out  
Don't pretend to hold it in just push it out_

Lily and James sat quietly at the dinner table. They didn't talk, laugh, smile. They just stared dully at the food on their plates. Harry looked at them, confused.

"Mummy?" He whimpered. "Daddy?"

For the first time in young Harry's life, his parents didn't make an attempt to comfort him. They just continued staring. They were both wondering if they had made the right choice about Peter. Tears welled up in Harry's eyes. He knew the looks on his parents faces. They were grim, disheartening, and quite scary. Parents were supposed to be happy, weren't they?

_Don't you try to hold it in just let it out and  
Don't you try to hold it in you hold it in_

A loud knock sounded from the front door. Lily and James looked up sharply.

"It must be Peter?" Lily tried to say, though it came out as more of a question.

James nodded and pulled out his wand. He strode to the front door and peered out the window.

"Lily!" He yelled, "Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off—"

Lily heard a loud, cruel laugh and the sound of the door breaking down. She rushed back to the table, grabbed her son and a wand, and hurried to the stairs. She paused for a second, giving one last glance toward her husband. She didn't see him die; she didn't see the single tear rolling down his face. Instead, she hurried up to the library with Harry in her arms.

Lily heard James' shriek of pain from below. She knew what had happened. Voldemort would be coming for her and Harry any moment now. Lily pulled a bag of Floo powder out of her pocket and turned towards the fireplace.

"Stop." A voice commanded from behind. Lily turned and saw him. He pointed his wand directly at her chest. "Give me the boy."

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!" Lily cried desperately, throwing handfuls of green powder behind her. She hoped at least one tiny pinch would make it into the fire.

"Stand aside, you silly girl…stand aside, now…"

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead—" it hadn't worked. The fire was the same as ever. She really was afraid now.

"Not Harry! Please…have mercy…have mercy…"

The last thing Lily Potter ever saw was a cruel flash of green light, and her son's sad eyes. Her eyes…

_Once upon a year gone by  
She saw herself give in  
Every time she closed her eyes  
She saw what could have been_

Sirius paced around his room. No, he was being stupid…Peter wouldn't…He should check…

Sirius finally gave in and hopped on his new motorbike. He took off to Godric's Hollow, as fast as he could will the bike to go.

"Merlin, no!" He cried, upon reaching the house. A faint green glow illuminated his best friend's home. He flung the bike to the ground.

"James!" He screamed. Sirius rushed to his friends' lifeless body. "No."

Sirius buried his face in his hands. Then, from a distance, he heard a low moan and a whimper. "Lily!" He gasped.

Sirius sprinted up the stairs, following the faint cries and moans. He stopped in the doorway, seeing Lily's lifeless body sprawled across the floor, her fiery red hair covering her face. He went over to her slowly, as if in a dream, and brushed the hair from her face. Her emerald eyes were still open, but they were duller than they had ever been in life.

He turned slowly. "Harry!" He whispered. "Merlin Harry, you're alive!"

Sirius grasped the baby to his chest and started crying all over again.

"Don't worry, Harry!" He gasped. "We'll get that traitor! We'll get him…"

**-.-**

**A/N: **Review? Please?


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